Newborn Babies Dressed as Baby Yoda and Other Star Wars Characters Go Viral

The Force is strong with newborn babies in the neonatal intensive care (NICU) unit at a Texas hospital, where the infants are being dressed in handmade costumes inspired by Baby Yoda of The Mandalorian fame and other beloved Star Wars characters. A video shared to Facebook by Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center – Temple shows the “tiny warriors” dressed in Star Wars outfits, including those inspired by Princess Leia, Chewbacca, droid R2-D2, Stormtroopers and more.

“We often call our patients warriors, especially the families of NICU babies. Their strength, courage, and resilience reminded us of the stories that are chronicled throughout the Star Wars series,” a hospital employee told Yahoo Lifestyle. “It can be long, and at times challenging, but it’s worth it. For us, what better way to honor them by bringing something fun and uplifting during their journey through the NICU. It was also a joy for the hospital staff to take part in, especially because they are fighting just as hard every day to take care of these Little Warriors and their families. It was fun for everyone who participated!”

The outfits were crocheted by Lynaia Herrnberger, who operates Etsy shop LoveableCrochet254. Herrnberger previously designed outfits inspired by Disney’s Frozen for a hospital in Kansas.

Baby Yoda, nicknamed for his resemblance to centuries-old Jedi Master Yoda, is the breakout character of The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars series now streaming on Disney+. Officially referred to as “The Child” until his real name is revealed, the character has inspired a variety of memes and other viral reactions after making his debut in the premiere episode of The Mandalorian.

“Well, look, the scale of the reaction is probably beyond my expectations by a wide margin,” The Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger previously told The Hollywood Reporter when attending the Hollywood premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. “That said, the moment I laid eyes on the character, I had a strong feeling the character was going to connect with audiences. It’s just so cute, so interesting, so compelling, in many respects so familiar and yet so new.”

Besides the widely agreed upon cuteness of Baby Yoda, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau believes the 50-year-old infant has proved so popular because he’s shrouded in mystery:

“We’ll learn more about him over the course of the season,” Favreau previously told THR. “I think what’s great about what George [Lucas] created is that Yoda proper, the character that we grew up watching, was always shrouded in mystery, and that was what made him so archetypal and so mythic. We know who he is based on his behavior and what he stands for, but we don’t know a lot of details about where he comes from or his species. I think that’s why people are so curious about this little one of the same species.”

The Mandalorian releases its season finale Dec. 27 on Disney+.